Mrs. Saint and the Defectives: A Novel

Markie, a fortysomething divorcée who has suffered a humiliating and very public fall from marital, financial, and professional grace, moves, along with her teenage son, Jesse, to a new town, hoping to lick her wounds in private. But Markie and Jesse are unable to escape the attention of their new neighbor Mrs. Saint, an irascible, elderly New European woman who takes it upon herself, along with her ragtag group of "defectives," to identify and fix the flaws in those around her, whether they want her to or not.

Slummy Mummy

Lucy Sweeney has three sons, a husband on a short fuse, and a tendency toward domestic disaster. It has been years since the dirty laundry pile was less than three feet high, months since she remembered to have sex, and weeks since her toddler started using the trash can as a toilet. Lucy is living in a constant state of emergency, caught between perfectionist Yummy Mummy Number One and competitive Alpha Mum.

My Not So Perfect Life: A Novel

Everywhere Katie Brenner looks, someone else is living the life she longs for, particularly her boss, Demeter Farlowe. Demeter is brilliant and creative, lives with her perfect family in a posh townhouse, and wears the coolest clothes. Katie's life, meanwhile, is a daily struggle - from her dismal rental to her oddball flatmates to the tense office politics she's trying to negotiate. No wonder Katie takes refuge in not-quite-true Instagram posts, especially as she's desperate to make her dad proud.

The Couple Next Door: A Novel

Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all - a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story.

Behind Her Eyes: A Novel

Louise is a single mom, a secretary, stuck in a modern-day rut. On a rare night out, she meets a man in a bar, and sparks fly. Though he leaves after they kiss, she's thrilled she finally connected with someone. When Louise arrives at work on Monday, she meets her new boss, David. The man from the bar. The very married man from the bar...who says the kiss was a terrible mistake but who still can't keep his eyes off Louise.

The Admissions: A Novel

The Hawthorne family has it all. Great jobs, a beautiful house in one of the most affluent areas of Northern California, and three charming kids with perfectly straight teeth. And then comes their eldest daughter's senior year of high school....

jennifer says:"Anything for success"

Publisher's Summary

It's the summer of 2008. For the past decade, Nick and Bryony Skinner and their four children have ridden high on the economic boom, but their luck is about to run out. Suddenly, the privileged family finds itself at the center of a financial scandal: Their Central London house is besieged by the press, Nick disappears, and Bryony and the children become virtual prisoners in their own home. And Ali, their trusted nanny, watches it all. As the babysitter, she brings a unique insider-outsider perspective to the family, seeing far more than even the family itself is capable of. But when a reporter with a personal connection to the story comes asking her for the inside scoop, will Ali remain loyal to the family who never saw her as anything other than the help? Or will she tell her side?

Written with Fiona Neill's delicious humor and addictive style, What the Nanny Saw is a keenly observed, often comical chronicle of the urban wealthy elite, of parents who are often too busy to notice what is going on under their own noses, of children left to their own devices, and of a young nanny thrown into a role she doesn't know how to play. It is a morality tale of our time, a tale of betrayal, the corrosive influence of too much money, and why good people sometimes do bad things.

What the Critics Say

"After an uberwealthy London family gets embroiled in a financial scandal following the 2008 crash, the trusted babysitter is the one holding all the secrets. Neill's engrossing and funny novel lives up to the titillating title." (Entertainment Weekly)

Alison Larkin brings a range of accents and personalities to life in a unique way that makes you want to keep all the characters interacting forever so of course I would listen again.

Larkin is especially good at giving you a sense of the Nanny as she tries to figure out what is going on as the financial world collapses around her, and her own heart leads her astray.

Listening to this story you don't want anyone that Larkin has so beautifully brought to life to go away!

What was one of the most memorable moments of What the Nanny Saw?

Larkin by her performance leads the listener into the heart of the Nanny, and the moment when the Nanny reaches deep to help out her employer--despite the fact that she recently fired her--is such a memorable moment is this audio book.

Which scene was your favorite?

Larkin is able to make interesting even the most complex financial dealings, but my favorite scene was when the Nanny kisses someone she shouldn't. Larkin brings that rare gift of making such a transformative and passionate scene ring true.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Larkin gave me a powerful feeling for the struggle of the Nanny to be true to her own ideals as she tried to figure out the best way forward in the dangerous world of money, sex, family and job.

Any additional comments?

Only Larkin could have handled all the accents and personalities and given each their own inidividual and pwerful characters that gave them such a hold on me.

I was hooked from her first word she spoke as I listened, and never wanted to let go!

I thought this was going to be a light, nanny-mummy beach read, but it really wasn't. The story was much more substantial. The characters were very well rounded and I enjoyed Alison Larkin's performance.

This book held a lot of financial talk. I felt like that was the majority of the book, although that was a critical part of the story line. However, the overall story line had a lot of depth it was simply dull. It lacked deep intruique. I found myself half listening most of the time, when there have been other audio books that have captivated my whole attention.

Where does What the Nanny Saw rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I really enjoyed this audio. It took me a while to get into the book but after an hour or so, I was hooked. What the Nanny Saw is layered with story after story. I didn't want it to end.

What was one of the most memorable moments of What the Nanny Saw?

There are a few moments that lead up to Ali finally seeing things for what they are. Each moment is complicated by her polar reactions; one of wanting to stay and care for the children and the other of needing to detach and separate. I found the story development and the iterative process of both clinging and detaching from the family she cared for really interesting.

Which character – as performed by Alison Larkin – was your favorite?

All of them. Alison Larkin is a really amazing narrator. I first heard her in The English American and fell in love with the book and her voice, and I now keep an eye out for any audio book narrated by her.

Any additional comments?

This was well worth the credit! This book could have been autobiographical - so much of it felt authentic, and just as in real life the bankers that caused a global meltdown got away with it all. I would have liked to see them hang, or at the very least go to jail, but alas, I guess that would have not made for a nice ending.

Story was pretty good - reading about the rich and spoiled (in London) - a nice "twist" to it as well. It makes you wonder - how "much" money can destroy people - and how much "stuff" do people really need?? How about just being happy and healthy? You can only hire people to do "so much" - and money can't buy you happiness - is the lesson I got from the story. The narration was great!